Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
- Acts 8:26-31
When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.
- Jeremiah 51:63
As for the Scriptures, if we do not understand what we are reading, reading the book does little good.
But as for some of the books that I have read, Jeremiah gives me a “Biblical” means of disposal. None of those authors are mentioned in the list below.
From 2015-2022, I read 132 books each of those years, on average. Of those books, there was at least one book whose author had a last name starting with each letter of the alphabet. I reported my favorite book, or only book in completing the alphabetical list once I started this blogsite.
In the 2022 report, I said that year would probably be my last. I wanted to cut down on my reading. That has not worked out so well, and here in 2025, I found myself only two letters short. I then ordered a couple of books to complete the “stunt” one more time, but with 3200 books and more on my book list, I thought I would write this about my all-time favorite for each letter. Just thinking about that, I cannot make up my mind about a few letters, especially the letter “S”. Yikes! I have three favorite mystery authors and at least three pastors who are authors starting with that one letter.
Mitch Albom – I have read more Margery Allingham and Donna Andrews novels; I chose Mitch Albom for his books about faith, admitting his personal struggles with faith. I enjoyed Mr. Albom on the ESPN television show The Sportswriters. He was on the show’s panel when his hit book, Tuesdays with Morrie came out. Oddly, that is one of many that I have not read.
Terri Blackstock – With over sixty authors to choose from, and a few with equal or more books read, Terri Blackstock stands out for her Christian fiction. The first of her books that I ever read was Predator. She wrote a vivid description of an evil predator, and by the book’s end, I was hooked. There are so many honorable mentions: A.C. Baantjer. M.C. Beaton, Earl Derr Biggers, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and James Lee Burke.
Clive Cussler – With Agatha Christie, this was almost a tossup. I love Agatha Christie’s Beresfords best among the “C” authors, but Cussler has the adventure combination and interesting characters. And again over 60 authors to choose from.
Franklin W. Dixon – Yes, a nom de plume, but the Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes got me excited about reading. Then Arthur Conan Doyle might be a tie.
Janet Evanovich – Aaron Elkins is excellent, but Janet Evanovich has humor.
Ian Fleming – Sorry Dick Francis, Jasper Fforde, and Joanne Fluke, but we are talking Bond, James Bond. I loved them more than the movies. This was one author where I broke my rule. See the movie, do not read the book, and vice versa. Both are excellent and a couple of them totally different, especially The Spy who Loved Me.
Dorothy Gilman – This is kind of like Ian Fleming. There are many contenders with Sue Grafton, Erle Stanley Gardner, Tess Gerritsen, Elizabeth George, and Billy Graham (of course). John Gardner is another James Bond author. But Mrs. Pollifax is among my all-time favorite characters, at least in the top ten.
Tony Hillerman – I had others to choose from: Dashiell Hammett, Hank Hannegraff, Carl Hiaasen, and Tracy L. Higley. But I read everything that Tony Hillerman wrote about life in the Southwest and the Navaho. Sorry, I only read one Bill Hybels, but I liked what I read.
Greg Iles – There are not too many “I” authors, and I do like Kyle Idleman, but Greg Iles writes about life in and around Natchez, MS. Having grown up in Mississippi, but farther north along the Natchez Trace, or the “Crooked Stick,” I have enjoyed his tales of intrigue.
J.A. Jance – My “J” book list is dominated by Jance, P.D. James, and Dr. David Jeremiah. My wife loved the Joanna Brady series, also liking the J.P. Beaumont series. She got me interested. Note that the two lady authors used their initials, an old trick since many publishers did not think a woman could write detective fiction, but Agatha Christie and her cohorts did fine.
Tim Keller – I have read a lot more books by the Kellermans (Faye and Jonathan), but I have found great wisdom in the books of the late pastor.
C.S. Lewis – I have read his fiction and his writings on Christianity. I love Max Lucado equally, but I have quoted Lewis more often. Robert Ludlum and Mike Lupica should at least get mentioned, but there are more.
Eric Metaxas – I like his wit, both in speech and in writing. He is very thorough. And he is bold in being an intellectual speaking the truth of God. My younger self would say John Mortimer with his Horace Rumpole of the Bailey series.
Ed McBain – Yes, I cheated. I have an “M” and a “Mc”. But I have read enough 87th Precinct novels and Matthew Hope novels that I added the suffix (Mc or Mac), meaning son of. Then again, Ed McBain was really Evan Hunter.
Jo Nesbo – None of my “N” authors would be near the top five in many other letters, but Nesbo’s Harry Hole series is captivating.
Stormie Omartian – I wish I had discovered her much earlier. My prayer life has been strengthened with her books. Honorable mention might be B.J. Oliphant and John Ortberg.
Robert B. Parker – This was an immediate response. I love all his series characters: Spenser, Jesse Stone, and Sunny Randall. The Spenser and Jesse Stone series have been continued by other authors. But in looking at the list, I have read most of what Sara Paretsky has written. I may have read more James Patterson books and I love the women’s murder club series. And I am inspired by J.I. Packer, Luis Palau, and John Piper.
Ellery Queen – There are not many authors to fit in this slot, but I love the old Ellery Queen novels and shorter stories.
David Robertson – I have read a lot more books from Nora Roberts (including her series as J.D. Robb), James Rollins, Ian Rankin, Ruth Rendell, and Joel Rosenberg, but Daivd Robertson, the Wee Flea, writes clearly and he speaks boldly. His books, written for young people, ASK and SEEK, are well organized and give answers to questions this world is asking. I hope he completes the set with KNOCK. But his The Dawkins Letters and Magnificent Obsession are must reads also.
Dorothy L. Sayers – This is kind of like Robert B. Parker above, but Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey rekindled my love of reading at one time. There would be more Lord Peter Wimsey novels, but she stopped to translate Dante’s Divine Comedy. She is mentioned as one of the four Queens of Crime, along with Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. I have read many of her essays and other non-fiction works. She had a lot to say about a variety of topics. It was said that C.S. Lewis cried when he heard she had passed. The two loved to spar with their intellects, and she was among the few women who Lewis felt were equal to the task. But in my top five authors, I would put Rex Stout, the creator of Nero Wolfe. I would possibly put Georges Simenon in the top twenty. I love Daniel Silva. But then there are the pastors: R.C. Sproul, Charles Stanley, Charles Swindoll, and Charles Spurgeon. My wife thought Charles Spurgeon to be timeless. His works speaking for today as easily as they did in the late 19th century. And there is Lee Strobel.
Bodie and Brock Thoene – This married couple writes several series. I have read the entire Zion Covenant series. I have read bits of some of their other series, all enjoyable and all making you think. But there is also Corrie ten Boom, who I love writing mini-series of her books. Josephine Tey, A.W. Tozer, Margaret Truman, and Mark Twain should be mentioned, all for different reasons.
Arthur Upfield – Not much to choose from here, but Upfield’s Napolean Bonaparte series is very interesting. His stories pit an aboriginal character as the wise detective who solves the crimes.
Janwillem van der Wetering – He did not just write Dutch detective stories, like A.C. Baantjer, he wrote about a Frisian detective, Gripstra. I heard my father-in-law in each book.
N.T. Wright – Or it could be Warren W. Wiersbe, but I have read more novels by Stuart Woods than those two authors combined. But did I get as much out of them?
Qiu Xiaolong – His mystery novels and other fiction are much about China today. Having been there five times and working on several other projects there, I can relate to his work.
Philip Yancey – I have learned a lot from his books.
Bruce Zimmerman – I have read more Quinn Parker novels than any of the other “Z” authors. But Kenneth Zeigler’s The War in Heaven should be mentioned.
Well, there is my list through the alphabet. With over seven hundred authors to choose from, I am leaving a lot out – and a few of those do not rate a comment.
Sadly, if I went through the list again, I might pick a few differently. There were a few coin flips. Actually not really flipping a coin…
As far as my favorite, and most often reread, book, it would be the Bible. In fact, I rarely reread any other book, but with the Bible, I always learn more each time I read it.
What are your favorite authors?
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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